Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta With Apricot Preserve
The yogurt has just set, made another batch of this Greek style panna cotta – Greek style in that Greek yogurt is the twist to this easy Italian dessert. Panna cotta means cooked cream and the Greek yogurt gives in a light tangy flavour that I think all of you will enjoy. The other Greek […]
Awesome Osso Bucco
Osso Bucco is a northern Italian dish, from the Lombardy region (near Milano). The old school Osso Bucco did not include tomatoes (as they appeared in Italy after the dishes creation). This dish is made with veal shanks and icing on the cake for this dish has to be the marrow inside each bone. After […]
The Classic, Basil & Pine Nut Pesto
When I first heard or and tried pesto, this was the only version out there: warm, aromatic, spicy fresh basil leaves from my garden, garlic, pine nuts and Paremesan cheese. Today, there are so many varieties and twists on pesto – I’ve lost count! Pesto is traditionally made in a mortar & pestle but a […]
Pizza With Rapini & Italian Sausage
While I was writing my book and researching info on Mediterranean cooking, I learned that the foraging of wild greens went beyond Greece – folks in Italy, southern France and in the Balkans like their bitter greens…and so should you! Here in Canada, we don’t have the wealth of wild greens available to us in […]
Spotlight on Chef Paolo Lopriore
Last week my travels took me about 2 1/2 hours southwest of Toronto to Stratford, Ontario. Despite my urges to go seek out the old Justin Bieber haunts (he’s from Stratford), I resisted and went directly to The Old Prune restaurant to taste the creations of Chef Paolo Lopriore from Siena’s Il Canto in the […]
An Evening at Modus With Margrit Mondavi
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending an evening with Margrit Mondavi and the just one-month young Modus Ristorante. Margrit Mondavi is the widow of Napa Valley wine pioneer Robert Mondavi. Modus Ristorante is owned by Sam Genkov who you may remember from Restaurant Makeover (“I’m watching you”) where his Bravi […]
The One Skillet Chicken Parmesan
One aspect of the kitchen that I’ve really never enjoyed is washing pots, pans – doing the dishes. Sometimes it can’t be avoided and other times I might even forego making something that requires a lot of clean-up…depends on my mood I suppose. Sometimes I also crave a dish but I don’t want the huge […]
Kicking-off Spring at Malena
I recently was invited for a preview/tasting of Malena’s Spring menu. The name Malena was inspired by the movie (starring Monica Belluci) and the cuisine is reflective of the ingredients that surround the Ionian Sea. The Ionian is the body of water that lies between Italy and Greece and hence the concept of the two […]
Fettucine With Mushroom Bolognese
If you saw the Pork dish I made last night, you too would want to have a vegetarian dish as a follow-up meal. I’m also really excited to share this recipe for a Mushroom Bolognese sauce. This pasta dish is for those that love mushrooms and you’re looking for a way to serve them as […]
Italian Wedding Soup
Recipe update from October 2007: I love this soup kitchen classic and I make it at least once a year during soup season. It’s winter and we have soup season! I don’t tinker much with this Rocco DiSpirito recipe other than to use what leafy greens are available in the market. It could be escarole, […]
